Hypothyroidism can cause hearing loss and tinnitus – Healthy Hearing
Not long ago, I lost my hearing…again. As usual, I first blamed my phone for the muffled voices on the other end. Then, the loud, high-pitched ringing in my ears started, making everything even harder to hear. Finally, when I couldn’t hear the TV on maximum volume, I was forced to turn on captions.
Author and patientadvocate MaryShomon
After a week of hoping it would clear up on its own, my hearing problem became intolerable, and I finally made a doctor’s appointment. It…….
Not long ago, I lost my hearing…again. As usual, I first blamed my phone for the muffled voices on the other end. Then, the loud, high-pitched ringing in my ears started, making everything even harder to hear. Finally, when I couldn’t hear the TV on maximum volume, I was forced to turn on captions.
Author and patient
advocate Mary
Shomon
After a week of hoping it would clear up on its own, my hearing problem became intolerable, and I finally made a doctor’s appointment. It took ten minutes for the ENT to vacuum out the impacted earwax blocking my eardrum, and my hearing immediately returned to normal. If I sound familiar with this routine, it’s because I’ve been through it several times. I have an underactive thyroid, hypothyroidism, which makes me more likely to develop earwax problems.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck that controls energy and metabolism. My hypothyroidism is caused by Hashimoto’s disease, a common autoimmune condition. Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism affect an estimated 15 to 20 million Americans. But many of those patients–and even some health care providers–aren’t aware of the connection between thyroid conditions and hearing loss. So, let’s take a look at this critical and often overlooked link.
About hearing loss
Hearing loss falls into three primary categories:
- Sensorineural hearing loss stems from problems in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. It’s the most common type of hearing loss, making up around 90 percent of all hearing issues, including in Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism patients.
- Conductive hearing loss, typically due to a blockage or injury, prevents sound from reaching the inner ear. (My impacted earwax, for example, resulted in conductive hearing loss.)
- Mixed hearing loss is a combination of sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.
The symptoms of hearing loss can vary and include:
- Tinnitus, a ringing, buzzing, hissing, or roaring sound in your ears that may be continuous or intermittent.
- A feeling of pressure or fullness in and around the ears.
- A need to increase the volume of your television, radio, telephone, and electronic devices in order to hear them.
- Other people’s speech sounds slurred, mumbled, and hard to understand, especially in a noisy environment and on the phone.
- Difficulty hearing higher-pitched sounds and voices, like women’s or children’s voices.
- Difficulty hearing certain sounds, especially “s” or “th” sounds.
- Vertigo, dizziness, and a feeling of being off balance.
About Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism
Hashimoto’s disease–also known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis–is the most common autoimmune disease in the U.S. In any …….
